"A Course in Miracles" is made up of three books: a 622-page Text, a 478-page Workbook for Students, and an 88-page Manual for Teachers. It was written between 1965 and 1976 through an inner Voice heard by medical psychologist Helen Schucman and dictated by her to psychologist William Thetford. This began on October 21, 1965, when Schucman heard an inner voice say, "This is a course in miracles. Please take notes." She claimed that this was the voice of Jesus and she took down a rapid dictation in a shorthand notebook.
Since the publication of the book, over one and a half million copies of "The Course" have been sold and over 2,200 study groups have been formed. The Foundation for A Course in Miracles was formed in 1983 and has extensive facilities in Roscoe, NY, and a West Coast Branch in La Jolla, CA. A lot of publicity came from a book promoting the Course by Marianne Williamson called "A Return to Love." Her book was a major bestseller, she appeared on shows like the Oprah Winfrey show, and has counted among her celebrity followers people like Elizabeth Taylor, Cher, Bette Midler, and Shirley MacLaine.
The Course presents a philosophy and set of practices that supposedly do not need to be believed in order to work. They just need to be put into practice. It claims to conquer all by a special brand of forgiveness that understands that all sin, guilt, and the evils of this world are just an illusion of the Ego. Here are some of the teachings of the Course:
